06.05.08
William Jeffs
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
RELEASE: J08-007
PHOENIX MARS LANDER LAB AT JSC OPEN TO MEDIA JUNE 9
HOUSTON – Members of the science team, who will help validate
measurements made from instruments aboard the Phoenix Mars Lander in
a laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center, will be available to
media June 9.
The Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars May 25 on a mission to search
for conditions favorable to past or present life in the Martian
arctic. It will attempt to answer questions such as: Do the Martian
polar regions preserve evidence of conditions favorable to life? What
is the history of water on Mars? How do seasonal changes in the
Martian climate affect the water cycle on the planet?
To answer these questions, Phoenix uses some of the most sophisticated
and advanced technology ever sent to Mars. A robotic arm on the
lander will dig through the soil to the water ice layer underneath,
and deliver soil and ice samples to the mission's instruments. On the
instrument deck are miniature ovens, a mass spectrometer, an atomic
force microscope and a "chemistry lab in a box" to analyze
the samples. Imaging systems will provide an unprecedented view of
Mars. Equipment in the lab at JSC will be used to provide ground
truth for measurements made by the Phoenix TEGA (Thermal Evolved Gas
Analyzer) instrument on Mars.
Media representatives may view the lab and interview the scientists at
10 a.m. CDT Monday, June 9. Media planning to attend should contact
the JSC Newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 5 p.m. June 6.
More information on the Phoenix mission is available online at:
http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix
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